(1) Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to waste drain and conduit cleaning devices used to prevent the accumulation and obstructions in the drain.
(2) Description of the Prior Art:
Prior art devices have used manually operated metal snakes positioned in the drain lines. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,039,467, 2,454,884 and 2,610,696.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,039,467 a coil spring is attached to a handle mounted in the drain line before the trap and extends down into the drain.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,454,884, a cleaning device is shown having a hand crank connected to an offset elongated scraper which rotates within the drain pipe.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,610,696 discloses a drain trap scraper wherein a flexible coiled wire is fixed at one end to a shaft that is rotated by hand or with a motor.
Applicant's device utilizes a one-piece nylon snake inserted into the drain pipe and driven by a timer controlled motor. The device is permanently mounted in the drain pipe system and is preset to run periodically. The snake has oppositely disposed longitudinally flexible fins extending the length thereof to increase the dislodging action created by the rotation of the snake.